The Wisdom Of Helen And Scott

Products from a short growing season; Helen and Scott are %85 self-sufficient at Harborside; traveling to India to satisfy duty or social obligations; recommended areas in the U.S. for homesteading; new buildings on Helen and Scott's present farm; policy for accepting visitors.

By the Mother Earth News editors

September/October 1978

As we've noted several times in these pages, Helen and Scott Nearing are light years ahead of most of us when it comes to getting back to the land and living a life of voluntary simplicity. As well they should be, since they originally homesteaded a run-down farm in Vermont's Green Mountains away back in the autumn of 1932.

Life was good for the Nearings on that mini-farm . . . until the slopes around them exploded into ski resorts in the early 50's, forcing Helen and Scott to move on to a rocky inlet on the coast of Maine and start all over again.

And that's where you'll find the Nearings today: still clearing brush, still building honest stone houses (Helen and Scott are famous for their stone houses/, and still raising most of their vegetarian diet themselves in unbelievably productive wholistic gardens . . . just as they've been doing for nearly 50 years.

Naturally (in more ways than one/, the Nearings have learned a few things about homesteading and getting back to basics over the years. And, lucky for all of us, they've agreed to share some of that knowledge with MOTHER's readers in a regular question and answer column. If you'd like to get in on the action, send your question or questions about self-sufficient living on the land to Helen and Scott Nearing, THE Mother Earth News(restricted), P.O. Box 70, Hendersonville, N.C. 28739. And please don't expect personal replies to your queries. The most important and most frequently asked questions will be answered here-and here only-where we all can read what the Nearings have to say.

You must contend with such a short growing season (and such rough weather!) in Maine that I find myself wondering: What produces best for you . . . and do you grow most-or all-of your vegetables in your greenhouse?

Green leaf crops and roots-including potatoes, parsnips, carrots, beets, and rutabagas-are our best crops and our yearly schedule goes something like this: We eat asparagus daily for about two months in the spring while we start many of our vegetables in seed flats in the greenhouse. The starts are then transplanted later into garden flats or directly into the garden's soil. All summer the greenhouse is full of tomato plants, peppers, and eggplant . . . which flourish under glass. Then, beginning in the late summer, we plant seeds in the greenhouse, transplant young plants from the garden and bring in mature plants . . . so that, by autumn, we have the greenhouse full of greens that will produce through the winter.

Just how self-sufficient are you at Harborside . . . and how often must you leave home to "go into town"?

We grow 85% of everything we eat . . . but we do shop in town (22 miles away) perhaps twice a month . . . mainly for citrus fruits, avocados (when they are under 50 cents each), and some yogurt or cottage cheese. (Yes, we still use some dairy products, although we neither drink milk nor eat eggs.) We also buy nuts, grains, peanut butter, and raisins from the local co-op, or health food store.

What prompted your trips to India?

We never travel for pleasure or recreation (we prefer to stay home for those things) and our trips away are invariably to satisfy duty or social obligations. Our latest trip to India, for instance, was to attend a three-week International Vegetarian Union convention. The trip was a real chore . . . partly because of the hot weather . . . but mainly because of the inedible, overcooked, overspiced, and unhygienic food that we had to eat. The journey was also harrowingly painful to us because of the glimpses we had of the scandalous contrasts between the daily life of the poor and the extravagant luxury of the rich.

What area in the United States would you recommend most highly to back-to-the-landers who want to homestead and are just starting out?

It depends on your background and what you're used to. If you can stand hard weather, try New England. That's our preference. If you were brought up in a southern clime, you'll thrive best there. In any case get into the backwoods and up the dirt roads, where you can afford to buy a piece of land and where you'll have privacy. Look for access to good, plentiful water.

Do you anticipate building any new structures on your present farm?

We have just finished a stone building on our present farm. We call it "The 70-90 House" because it was build while we are in our 70's (Helen) and 90's (Scott). We did all the stone and concrete work ourselves... but a meticulous carpenter friend did the woodwork.

What is your policy towards visitors? Is there a particularly good-or bad-time for people to try to see you... or are you just too busy to handle the constant flow of individuals who would like to stop in?

Our policy this year is to see visitors only in the afternoons. Our mornings and evenings are our own... for writing and study. We are happy to show people our place, but appreciate word in advance.